Beware of the new 'sick' funeral scam that preys on the grieving
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In an era where technology has become integral to our lives, it's disheartening to see how it can be misused to exploit the vulnerable.
A new, brazen scam has emerged, targeting grieving families and friends during one of the most challenging times of their lives—the loss of a loved one. This scam preys on the emotions of those mourning, attempting to extract personal and financial information under the guise of charity.
The scam operates through the medium of funeral livestreams, which have become increasingly popular due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These livestreams are posted to fake Facebook accounts, which provide a link for people to donate money to the grieving family and friends.
However, instead of the funds reaching the bereaved, they end up in the pockets of these unscrupulous scammers.
Australian Funeral Directors Association Chief Executive Dale Gilson expressed his disgust at this new scam, stating it was the 'lowest you can get'.
He said, 'It's one of the toughest times in their life, and then to have unscrupulous people out there attempt to request personal information, or to work towards funding their unscrupulous lifestyle.'
One such case involved the family and friends of South Australian man Bevan Thackeray, who passed away last month.
Ahead of his funeral, close family friend Sam Morena received multiple friend requests from different Facebook profiles, all attempting to exploit the situation.
Morena labelled the scam 'sick', stating, 'There was one I had received, I reported it immediately and deleted it, and I received another two within 10 minutes after that, and so did all my family and a lot of my friends.'
While the rise of such scams is alarming, Mr Gilson reassured that the association does not believe anyone has fallen victim to the scam yet.
He reminded mourners that funeral directors would never send a social media friend request or ask for financial details.
'People are becoming more aware of it, we're hearing of cases all across Australia, so it's important for everyone to be really vigilant,' Mr Gilson said.
If you or anyone you know has concerns, it's crucial to contact your funeral director immediately.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only instance of this happening. Late last year, a similar scam was reported by a funeral home in Queensland.
The Callide Dawson Funeral Homes stated that people received friend requests from a fraudulent account that mirrored the funeral home's official page. The scam page shared the same funeral notice but included a live stream link that requested credit card information.
Margaret Fisher, a representative from the funeral home, expressed her dismay at the audacity of these scammers.
'We want our local community to know that Callide Dawson Funerals will never send you a Facebook friend request or request your personal details or ask for payment to participate in a live stream,' she said.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has acknowledged the issue, with a spokesperson stating that the National Anti-Scam Centre is aware of reports of live streaming-related scams circulating on social media, including those targeting funeral live streams.
Have you or someone you know encountered such scams? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below to help others stay safe.
A new, brazen scam has emerged, targeting grieving families and friends during one of the most challenging times of their lives—the loss of a loved one. This scam preys on the emotions of those mourning, attempting to extract personal and financial information under the guise of charity.
The scam operates through the medium of funeral livestreams, which have become increasingly popular due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These livestreams are posted to fake Facebook accounts, which provide a link for people to donate money to the grieving family and friends.
However, instead of the funds reaching the bereaved, they end up in the pockets of these unscrupulous scammers.
A new type of funeral scam targets grieving friends and families of the deceased. Source: Rhodi Lopez/Unsplash
Australian Funeral Directors Association Chief Executive Dale Gilson expressed his disgust at this new scam, stating it was the 'lowest you can get'.
He said, 'It's one of the toughest times in their life, and then to have unscrupulous people out there attempt to request personal information, or to work towards funding their unscrupulous lifestyle.'
One such case involved the family and friends of South Australian man Bevan Thackeray, who passed away last month.
Ahead of his funeral, close family friend Sam Morena received multiple friend requests from different Facebook profiles, all attempting to exploit the situation.
Morena labelled the scam 'sick', stating, 'There was one I had received, I reported it immediately and deleted it, and I received another two within 10 minutes after that, and so did all my family and a lot of my friends.'
While the rise of such scams is alarming, Mr Gilson reassured that the association does not believe anyone has fallen victim to the scam yet.
He reminded mourners that funeral directors would never send a social media friend request or ask for financial details.
'People are becoming more aware of it, we're hearing of cases all across Australia, so it's important for everyone to be really vigilant,' Mr Gilson said.
If you or anyone you know has concerns, it's crucial to contact your funeral director immediately.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only instance of this happening. Late last year, a similar scam was reported by a funeral home in Queensland.
The Callide Dawson Funeral Homes stated that people received friend requests from a fraudulent account that mirrored the funeral home's official page. The scam page shared the same funeral notice but included a live stream link that requested credit card information.
Margaret Fisher, a representative from the funeral home, expressed her dismay at the audacity of these scammers.
'We want our local community to know that Callide Dawson Funerals will never send you a Facebook friend request or request your personal details or ask for payment to participate in a live stream,' she said.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has acknowledged the issue, with a spokesperson stating that the National Anti-Scam Centre is aware of reports of live streaming-related scams circulating on social media, including those targeting funeral live streams.
Have you or someone you know encountered such scams? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below to help others stay safe.
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